Poland’s Renovated Hotel Tobaco by EC-5: Smokin’

What do you with a former cigarette factory? Most people might say burn it to the ground, or film a lot of those scary Truth commercials there. But nope, Polish design and architecture studio EC-5 has turned convention on its head and created Hotel Tobaco in Łódź, Poland’s third largest city. And EC-5 didn’t try to run from the building’s past, either. There’s plenty of the old stuff left intact, including exposed wiring and this splotchy concrete and brick wall behind the front desk. Elsewhere there’s gigantic room numbers painted on the doors, and lots of bright splashes of blue, violet and green.

 

SIGMO Translation Device: Take Your Don Juan Game To A Broad Abroad

If you’ve mastered the art of picking up American women, maybe it’s time you test your mettle in Italy or France or — show us whatcha got — Zimbabwe. But to do that, your’re gonna need to speak their language, not just the language of love. Sigmo ($40) promises to be your word-slinging wingman, translating speech into 25 different languages via its Bluetooth connection with your smartphone and Google’s translation service. “Your villa/hut or mine?” is then played back to your potential conquest in their native language, and we know women of all nationalities can’t resist that kinda charm.

Automatica: Don’t Stop USBelieving

We dig “Carol of the Bells” as much as the next eggnog-buzzed brute, but if this past month of nonstop Christmas music on the radio doesn’t drive home the need for personalized in-car audio content, what does? Silence that commercial crap for good with Automatica, a smart USB device and online service that lets you bring your music and podcasts with you on the road. Store 24 hours of stuff on the tiny device, plug it into your car’s USB port, then sync it with cloud storage services via Wi-Fi. Will you be able to live without obnoxious car dealer commercials every 17 minutes? Let’s find out.

Incase EO Travel Collection

A dune buggy, a trampoline, tequila, and a Jersey Shore Complete Seasons 1-5 DVD box set (the perfect time capsule!)…yes, these are a few of the items which constitute a promising list of things to take on the first commercial flight to Mars. The luggage to use? The Incase EO Travel Collection ($150-$300/item). Why? Well, because it’s just about the most efficient and aesthetically pleasing baggage equipment you can find. Just look at this awesome montage video of the Hardshell Roller, whose padded compartment reassures that those margarita glasses will stay safe. Why the Jersey Shore box set? Well, if there is a superior intelligence out there, they will not be interested in the great things we have accomplished, but in just how bad it can get.

How to Swear Around the World

There may be no greater foreign faux pas than telling your waiter to blow you. In English. And he speaks German. Learn how to curse out people across the globe with How to Swear Around the World ($12.95), a collection of key phrases you’re gonna need to properly blaze a profane path. Phonetic pronunciations are provided, so you can sound like a seasoned potty mouth while bringing a little obnoxious piece of the USA to the rest of the world!